Ionia County MI Archives Obituaries.....Troxel, Gaylord Jr. April 21, 1961
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Pat Currigan currigan1932@comcast.net June 2, 2021, 2:09 pm

Ionia Sentinel Standard-Tuesday, May 9, 1961

Body of Troxel Found Tuesday In Grand River

The body of Gaylord Troxel Jr., 23 year old Ionia city fireman who was lost 
in Grand River April 21, when the canoe in which he was riding overturned, 
was found at 12:47 pm, Tuesday afternoon in the river. The body was about 15 
feet from shore.

Ionia state police said the body was found by Clifford Kimble of Saranac, who 
lives on M-21, who told troopers he was picking mushrooms. It was at the 
Kimble home along M-21 near the scene of the accident that Richard Allen, 33, 
also an Ionia city fireman, placed the call notifying officers of the 
accident April 21.

Trooper George Mansmith of the Ionia state police post was dispatched to the 
river and verified that Kimble had found a body. Coroner Neil Phelps of Ionia 
and other offices were sent to the river to identify it.

Troxel and Allen were dumped in the river as they were returning to Ionia 
after spending the day off, canoeing on Grand River. The canoe was equipped 
with a motor. Allen swam to shore and ran half a mile along the river bank in 
an effort to guide Troxel to shore but Troxel disappeared as the canoe 
floated bottom side up down the river. Allen ran the half mile to the home of 
Herman Hafner Jr., on M-21 east of Saranac but found no one home. He ran to 
Kimble's one door west, to spread the alarm.

The accident touched off one of the largest and longest searches of its kind 
here. Scores of searchers combed the river bank areas and a dozen skin divers 
worked the river bottom for days. The search was given up when heavy rains 
pushed the river level over the banks and flooded the lowlands. The river has 
dropped from its high level at the time of the accident.

The location of the body found by Kimble Tuesday, state police said is within 
a mile of the accident scene.

Troxel's parents, Mr and Mrs Gaylord Troxel, were notified after officers 
identified the body.

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